MP’s to vote on their Salaries

MP’s will vote later today on their salary award. It is tipped that they will ignore Gordie and vote themselves a “restrained” pay award this year but 4.4% or more in the years to come.

 

 

Is your MP really worth - £61,820 basic pay  BEFORE any expenses ? (Expense listed here - too many to count !! BUT Huge) Don’t you think this puts them just a little bit out of touch with the very people they “represent” who on average earn just  £20,565 basic pay (according to the BBC - Nov 07) and not much chance of running up and receiving any “expenses”.

MP’s don’t then suffer to the same extent as the normal person in the street if they are earning 3 times basic salary and they can pretty much “expense” anything to cover any of their losses !

Another thing that is perhaps overlooked is that 4.4% or 2.2% of £60K is an awful lot more than 2.2% of £20K. All of us are being offered not much more than 2% of our salaries at this time. This is to cover the massive car fuel price increases (MP’s can of course expense that via their transport costs), increases in energy costs at home (MP’s can of course expense that on their properties in London or wherever they record as their 2nd home), the ever increasing food bills (I expect their is an expense for that too for the MP’s).

 All in all they really do very well indeed out of us all, not to mention the Rolls Royce of pension schemes and pay off’s they get.

Do you think there will ever come a point when us Britons will begin to object really loudly about some of this or will we just let it go on and on ?

The result tonight will be interesting and I am sure it will be hotly discussed on Question Time tonight !

UPDATE: 16:17 - 3rd July

The MP’s have actually voted to restrain their wages, Mmm perhaps they sense the public’s distaste at the massive pay they already get. The results are here

Later on today or this evening, they will vote on their EXPENSES. It is tipped that they may vote to award themselves a lump sum payment in lieu of the current system. This would allow them to “hide” all the expenses from the public. I hope they take the sensible route and vote this down too. I may then credit them with a little social responsibility and understanding of the hardships being experienced by their electorate.

 

Among the DOOM & GLOOM

Markets crashing, oil rocketing, electricity into orbit, gas into the stratosphere, mortgages up up up and  banks in a total shambles - what to do in these hard times.

How about a bit of dancing ? Could be Scottish Country -

Or a bit of Ballroom

Click on the DANCE Diaries above and dance the night away, relax, enjoy the company of friends and have a grand time. No need to even talk about the econcomy going down the pan or the country that’s broken apart, just dance and relax.

Enjoy !

 

RSCDS Forfar Branch - updates web + new blog !

 RSCDS Forfar branch have recently updated their web site and have added a new blog for members.

The web site is www.rscdsforfar.co.uk

The blog is www.rscdsforfar.wordpress.com

 The web site is to be gradually upgraded and refreshed and the BLOG is a new addition for branch members of Forfar RSCDS.

 

Forfar East and Old and St Margarets set free !

Two major churches in Forfar were set free with a decision given by Angus Presbytery yesterday evening to abandon all further moves to unite the two congregations. East and Old Church Forfar responded with a very positive statement for the future, embracing the challenge of change and modernisation. This statement is yet to be detailed to the congregation and until it is clear how the office bearers intend to overcome the steady decline in membership, the loss of revenue, the year on year deficit in funds needed to run the church and the complete modernisation of the image of the church then members may not support the office bearers sufficiently to survive.

 

St Margarets response was somewhat bitter to say the least. This is understandable when details of the long wait and the protracted negotiations emerged.  I’m not sure that the comments made were altogether within the spirit of the christian ethos but at the end of a long road tethers are a little threadbare !

 

Both organisations currently run an annual deficit in the order of some £10,000.00 The reserves of both churches are generally restricted in what they can be used for since many are bequests and therefore the amount of funding available to cover these deficits must be very limited. Unless a remarkable turnaround is achieved then the future of both these buildings remains in some doubt.

Negotiations for merger have been going on now for nearly 13 years in Forfar. It is a very sad state of affairs when two sets of office bearers cannot agree a sensible way forward for the churches in Forfar. It is even more sad that the congregations involved seem to have been so “attached” to a materialistic thing like a building or set of buildings, and have chosen to ignore the realities around them. Any one of the two sets of buildings involved could have potentially been released for redevelopment. It may even have been possible for the congregations involved to be part of this and to develop one of the buildings into affordable housing for example to help struggling young people get onto the property market, a profit for the church may even have been made. It is possible that this may happen in the future, but I fear it will be a long time before either party feel like talking together about these issues.

As they say, time will tell.

 

Oil, Power and Food Co’s PROFITEERING ?

Today both Shell and BP have announced record profits of some £3.9 Billion and £3.3 Billion Pounds for the first 3 months of 2008.

No doubt the big Power generators will announce similar massive profits in the coming months.

Tesco recently also announced massive profits.

The question to ask then is  - Are the oil, power and food companies profiteering ? The press seem to print nothing but articles on the rising price of everything at the moment but the profits keep rolling in for the big companies.

I suppose the answer if you can afford it is to buy shares in these companies and share in the profits, but we can’t all afford that now can we? Where will it all end ?  recession, riot ??

 Have a Dram - & Think it over !

 

Fuel Shortage - None say our politicians - get real !

Our politicians tell us confidently and clearly that there will be no fuel shortages providing we don’t panic buy. Well take a look at what the situation is at a small town like Forfar with only 2 petrol stations.

The situation in Forfar @ 08:00 Tuesday 29th April

NO FUEL IN ANY STATION. Not sure if stations are topped up during the day, but none last night at 17:00 either!

The situation in Forfar @ 08:00 Monday 28th April

- NOTE The press continue to tell us there are no problems and there is plenty fuel for all - reality on the ground ? ask Forfar residents.

• Shell Queenswell Rd Forfar - NO FUEL AT ALL
• Esso Academy St Forfar - NO FUEL AT ALL

The situation in Forfar @ 14:00 Sunday 27th April

• Shell Queenswell Rd Forfar - NO FUEL AT ALL
• Esso Academy St Forfar - NO FUEL AT ALL

The situation in Forfar @ 14:00 Saturday 26th April

• Shell Queenswell Rd Forfar - NO UNLEADED AT SOME PUMPS
• Esso Academy St Forfar - ALL OK

The situation in Forfar @ 09:00 Friday 25th April

• Shell Queenswell Rd Forfar - NO DIESEL
• Esso Academy St Forfar - NO DIESEL

SO - are the politicians facing “reality” or are they sitting in their little “pods” at the Scottish Parliament and thinking of their next completely detatched from reality speach to the people. While the population is facing fuel shortages already and the strike has not even started?

The reality is the politicians have no control whatsover over public behaviour and even less over fuel supplies to the pumps the ordinary person will use in their day to day living.

It would probably be best if they just shut up and let the thing play out. That would apply for the media as well.

Have a Dram - Keep Calm !

 

Petrol Panic ?

 Have the Scottish press managed to create Petrol Panic ? The scenes outside a local petrol station yesterday evening would suggest they have. The possible strike will not happen until Sunday and yet there were over a dozen cars lined up on Queenswell road filling station yesterday evening, that’s not a scene we usually see in Forfar on a Monday night !

Fuel can be delivered to many locations in Scotland by tanker for distribution around the country. While the shut down of Grangemouth may well be painful, who is the pain going to be with - I would suggest by the language and actions of the plant Managers that the pain will hit them the hardest. Would it not be painful to them to lose MILLIONS of pounds profit per day ? Let’s be realistic, for the ordinary person in the street, the reality is that if there is no fuel then you will do what you can to continue normal day to day activities but if you have no transport available you have no transport. The ordinary person can’t magic up fuel if it’s not available, so the worst is that you can’t make it to work. I’m sure the government will have suitable plans in place to help us all out - Won’t they ? This could be a real test of organisation one way or another !

 The strike is by no means definate yet but who knows ! Check out Ineos Web Site and BBC News Scotland for updates

INEOS

BBC-NEWS-SCOTLAND

Fancy a Fine Malt to help you DE-STRESS IT ALL ?

 

 

 

Doggie Poo Bag Count Update

Jogging from Dundee Road at the Slatefield rise path up to Balmashanner. One quarter of a mile path to the top of the hill.

Original post -> http://lunanhead.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/forfar-dog-owners-think-before-you-throw/

Doggie poo plastic bag count = 12 ! That is now 5 more poly bags (mostly black ones) which will NOT disintegrate in years !

Disgrace and shame on all you Forfar dog walkers !

I just don’t understand why the walkers can’t just hold onto the bags until they either get to the top or back down, the council have provided bins for these on this path. Who do the dog owners think will clear this crap up ? Don’t they see the small portion of path getting more and more covered in little black poly bags full of dog poo. No way can the council be expected to go and litter pick this path, they are way over-stretched as it is. If the dog walkers had an ounce of consideration for other users and the environment they would pop the bags into the bins provided !

How about a BIO-BAG ?

You can get them here

Fancy a Fine Malt?

 

Dundee Courier - your “local” paper ??

Is our “Local” Edition of The Courier really local any more? I noticed that the results of the largest employer in Angus have not been reported on by our local paper in their Angus and The Mearns edition. The story is however reported in the Aberdeen based Press and Journal. The story was run as follows :-

  

Textile firm hails its

results after difficult year

Pre-tax profits are almost flat at £3m

By Keith Findlay

Published: 22/03/2008

Angus textile firm Don and Low (D&L) has hailed its latest annual results as a major achievement in one of the most difficult years in its 200-plus year history.

The company, which employs around 500 people in Forfar, was hit by rising input prices and unfavourable exchange rates last year.

Pre-tax profits were almost flat at £3.056million, which chief executive Stephen Duffy said yesterday was a remarkable performance under the circumstances.

He added: “Polymer, a major raw material accounting for more than 50% of our costs, reached an all-time historic high.”

Mr Duffy said uncertainty over the current economic climate made predictions for the firm’s financial performance in 2008 impossible, adding: “2007 was one of the most difficult years was have faced in a long time, so to record flat profits was actually a major achievement.

“How we do this year will entirely be determined by factors over which we have no control.”

He said the current financial turmoil was also having an impact on the company’s pension fund deficit, which stood at £3.5million at the end of last year, down from £17.1million in 2006.

D&L, which was formed in 1792 by William Don, manufactures woven and non-woven polypropylene industrial textiles.

About half of the company’s output is exported to countries including Australia, Canada and the US, with the rest of Europe being a key market.

Accounts from Companies House yesterday showed the Greek-owned firm had turnover of £54.34million in 2007, up from £52.93million the year before.

A directors’ report with the accounts said: “Economic and market challenges, particularly the increasing cost of raw materials and the strength of the pound, have continued to have a significant influence on the company’s business.

“Nevertheless, steady progress was made during the year. The continuing progress of the non-wovens business in higher value markets was an encouraging feature.”

D&L’s highest-paid director received a pay and benefits package worth £496,000 last year, compared with £379,000 in 2006.

publish Date 22/03/2008

 

Scotia Homes - Weavers Gate - Forfar

Scotia Website 

Scotia Homes - LUXURY home builders are building a new development at Station Road Forfar.

The development is under way and a marketing suite is now in place.

Pleased to say toilets have been provided for staff now, so previous rant has been removed.

Fancy a Fine Malt ?